Thornton insisted on getting to know his PM1D intimately and can now configure and hook up the system as well as operating it. "Because it’s so incredibly configurable, there is an initial learning curve," he admits, "but knowing how it all goes together helps you to gain a good understanding of the whole concept."
For the Magic Hotel tour, Thornton is using the PM1D’s extensive automation system, and explained that Toploader¹s detailed music benefits from a high degree of precision in the mix. "Even though parameters like EQ and dynamics are fairly static through the show, it’s important to have them recallable especially as the support bands are using the PM1D as well. There are certain facilities like the global paste function which are incredibly useful for making sure that a particular setting is copied to every scene in the show."
Canegreen’s system engineer Pete Hughes, who designed the system in conjunction with Thornton, is also a PM1D convert. "Despite being an old-fashioned, analogue type, I’ve been really impressed by what the PM1D can do. The flexibility of being able to have the audio racks and the ‘brain’ remote from the console and from each other is great when space is limited. With two consoles on the tour, we¹re using separate DSP1D units for each to maximize the processing power. We have been able to adapt our existing analogue lines system to interface with the PM1D on stage, and we’re even feeding the outputs from the FOH desk to the system processors digitally. It’s a top system!"
(Lee Baldock)
